The Rev. Traci Blackmon

The Rev. Adam Hamilton

The author of 23 books (including “Making Sense of the Bible”), Hamilton is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, the largest Methodist congregation in the U.S.

(Left to right) Rachel Held Evans, known for her blog and books such as “A Year of Biblical Womanhood,” has written “Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church.” Photo courtesy of Maki Evans. The Rev. Traci Blackmon, acting executive minister of the United Church of Christ’s Justice and Witness Ministries, has been the pastor of Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Mo., since 2009. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Traci Blackmon. The Rev. Adam Hamilton, the author of 23 books (including “Making Sense of the Bible”) is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, the largest UMC congregation in the U.S. Photo by Donovan Marks/courtesy Washington National Cathedral.

Adelle M. Banks, production editor and a national reporter, joined RNS in 1995. An award-winning journalist, she previously was the religion reporter at the Orlando Sentinel and a reporter at The Providence Journal and newspapers in the upstate New York communities of Syracuse and Binghamton.

Why I am supposed to be excited about Adam Hamilton being nominated to a Presidential advisory council? The president will be out of office in less than a year. These appointments will end at that time. Besides, each appointment is only for a one year term. How much advising can he do, with all the general conferencing and leading a big church in 9 months? This council might meet once before this November. The council will do nothing after President Obama becomes a lame duck.
Adam will get a trip to the White House sometime between now and November. Big deal! It’s not like Adam is going to become the United Methodist in residence at the White House. We’re talking about the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The religious equivalent of the National Security Council this is not. This all looks great on a White House press release but it means absolutely nothing to anyone in the pews.